After using it for the past 4 months, I have to say I don’t think it will replace my spiral Rollbahn notebooks. By all accounts, it’s a great notebook, with very sturdy covers, elastic closure, good body paper, and even a small interior pocket on the front-inside cover. The double-spiral is a perfect size, too, making page-turning smooth and easy, and its minimal design makes it a very versatile tool.

But I can’t shake the feeling that the pages are slightly too narrow. Perhaps I’ve gotten too used to the Rollbahns? The body paper in the Rollbahn (in the “L” size) is indeed slightly wider, by 4mm. Am I sensitive to that small of a difference? Maybe so. But then again, even compared to the perfectbound version with the same width, the body paper in this Muji notebook feels narrower because of the spiral cutting into the usable space.

In terms of paper quality, the body paper looks and feels the same as the one in the perfectbound version. They are both off-white, with 6mm (0.24") ruling in light gray. And it’s smooth enough for most of my pens but not ideal for fountain pens, with some feathering and bleed-through (see pictures below and my previous post on the perfectbound version).

That alone wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me, but if I were to choose between the two versions that have the same body paper, I’d go with the one without the spiral. Plus, the non-spiral version gives me a tiny bit more real estate, at a lower price tag ($3.50 USD vs. $6 for the spiral one).

This is a great notebook well worth its price, with enough attention to details where they count. I really hate to say anything negative about it because it’s probably the best ruled, spiral notebook I’ve come across at this price point, but it’s just not for me at this time. After I finish this one, I think I will go back to either the softbound High Quality Smooth Paper notebook or my dwindling supply of fountain pen-friendly and wider Rollbahn notebooks.

One feature this notebook has that I wish was in the perfectbound version: the subtle, linen-like texture on the covers that make the notebook look and feel more expensive than it is.

Pros

Sleek, minimal design

Sturdy double-spiral

Very thick, rigid covers with subtle linen-like texture

Durable elastic closure

Interior pocket on the front-inside cover

Body paper smooth for most pens

All four corners are rounded

Cons

Some feathering and bleed-through with fountain pens

Slightly uneven writing surface due to the metal eyelets for the elastic band

MY WISHLIST

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